


Polaris

by starlightdaydreams



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Canon Retelling, Drama & Romance, F/F, Fluff and Angst, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Lesbian Adora (She-Ra), Lesbian Entrapta (She-Ra), Lesbian Scorpia (She-Ra), Major Character Injury, Minor Violence, Original Female Characters - Freeform, Post S3, Season 3 Spoilers, Slow Burn, i have a lot of emotions, the slowest of burns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2020-08-10 02:51:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20128153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlightdaydreams/pseuds/starlightdaydreams
Summary: They weren’t star crossed lovers.They were two people meant to be enemies, two lost princesses searching for their destinies, two people who against all odds managed to find a connection.Maybe that was just what they needed.--------------------------------post S-3.





	1. Chapter 1

The Battle of Brightmoon had passed, but Adora still dreams of Catra. She imagines Catra's blue and yellow irises, her laugh, her fangs when she smiles. Sometimes she envisions them as children, running through the Fright Zone, comforting her after Shadow Weaver's insults. Sometimes she remembers Catra looking at her, pain and almost disgust in her eyes, as she announces she's going to leave the horde, dust in her eyes and screams behind her. 

_ I wanted us to leave together. We were always meant to stay together. _

Other nights she dreams of Catra leaving her to die on that cliff. How could that person be her best friend of ten years? No. Catra could change, she could be the Catra she knew again.

She wakes up in a sweat, a scream in her throat.  


\-------------------------------------------------------

"....you wanna be next?" Catra yells as she brandishes the tazer, pointing it at Scorpia without a second thought. Scorpia's eyes widen, and inside, she feels her heart shatter. _ This is who Catra really is. _ Not the strong, competent, woman who took the time to point out Scorpia's accomplishments and make her feel special. This was someone....cold, calculating, someone willing to taze Entrapta, one of their best friends. until she was unconscious and then ship her off to Beast Island without a second thought.

".....we could, you know, be happy." She thought back to that night in the Crimson Wastes,whispering that to Catra. She and Catra belonged there, ruling together, not here, not like this. She always knew Catra could be a kind person, she could be _ better _, she didn't have to hurt anyone. 

_ I'm not sure I really know anything anymore. _

\---------------------------------------------------

_ Shit, she's strong! _

Her sword clanged against Scorpia's claws as they fought atop the bridge. Even in her She-Ra form, she was struggling. Catra might have known all her weaknesses from their sparring together, but this other woman had the sheer advantage of strength and good fighting skills. Adora found herself strangely.....enjoying the challenge of the fight. There were no emotions, the way there was with Catra. She just wanted to _ win _. She was also really buff too, and Adora had always appreciated.... _ Adora, you're literally in the middle of battle, get your head out of the gutter. _

_ Dammit. _ Her concentration broken, Scorpia deftly grabbed her arm and sent her sword careening into the water below. The fight turned south from there, and Adora was only saved by the timely arrival of the other princesses. 

On the way back to Brightmoon, the princesses were all gathered together, celebrating their victory. Since they had all joined together, the rebellion had Adora thought back on Light Hope's words. _ I'm the one called to unite all the princesses, to restore balance to Etheria. How can I even do that? _  
\---------------------------------------------------< 

_ For the first time, I feel like a princess. _ Scorpia focused on her trademark winged eyeliner as she got ready for the Princess Prom. 

When she used to read fairy tales growing up, a brave knight would come save princesses from whatever troubles they faced. During the harsh training of the Horde, Scorpia used to wish on falling stars for a knight to come save her. _ But this is real life. I may be a princess, but no one is coming to save me. _ Strangely enough, she found herself quickly rising through the ranks of the Horde. What she lacked in harshness, she made up for by being well liked. What she lacked in tactical ability, she made up for in strength. The Horde had became her family. 

When she and Catra arrived at the prom, Adora frantically tried to explain to Frosta why they shouldn't be allowed in.

_ She has guts to take on Princess Frosta like that. _ Scorpia thought to herself. _ Does she just not know basic etiquette? She's with Princess Glimmer, so I'm guessing Glimmer made her aware of basic social rules at least. _

"They're up to something, I can feel it!" Adora's voice echoed through the halls, her blue eyes bright. 

_ So she's just a spitfire, hm? _ Scorpia's eyes darted over to Adora, and she smiled in spite of herself. She went against the status quo, and even though she was Scorpia's enemy, she felt an ounce of respect for the honey-blonde woman.  
\-------------------------------------------------

_ Why am I the one stuck taking care of this girl? I just wanted to spend time with Catra..... _ Scorpia sighed as a loopy Adora ran outside the base, sticking her tongue out to get a snowflake. _ Crap. _ She noticed a corrupted creature start to approach them and quickly grabbed Adora, easily maneuvering her inside.

"Change of plans: how about we stay inside?"

"Yay, girls night in!" Adora laughed as she collapsed in Scorpia's arms. Scorpia was concerned, but couldn't help but laugh internally. She had never seen the other woman so relaxed before, and it _ was _ pretty funny when she hit Scorpia with that mop. She let her thoughts wander and tried to imagine what Adora was like normally, outside of battle and outside of her loopy state. _ Wait, why do I even care? _ She disliked the woman on principal, for hurting Catra. Yet Scorpia's protective nature still kicked in when Adora was like this. 

It was after her heart-to-heart with Sea Hawk when Adora,still in her almost-drunken state, piped up, "You guys are good friends. And good people."

Scorpia had to admit, she understood why people turned to Adora, why they were letting this girl from the Horde lead the rebellion.

"I'm brave, strong, give great hugs, and am loyal." She could feel Adora leaning into her, almost hugging her, her hands wrapped around Scorpia's shoulder. And Scorpia felt herself.....hugging Adora back. _ I'm only doing this because she's not in the right state of mind right now, because she needs someone to protect her, because Catra asked, because.... _

_ Maybe I don't need a reason. _

\-------------------------------------------------

"Everyone keeps telling me everything is perfect, but it's not!" Catra, Lonnie, and the others all stood around her, their mouths in shock. Adora _ knew _ something was off, she kept having memories she shouldn't be having.... "Everyone except Scorpia." She thought back to the force captain who had immediately disliked her, even in this seemingly perfect world. _ We may be enemies, but she's all I have right now. _

“....and after my plan works, you can go back to hating me.”

“If we get through this, I won’t hate you. Just dislike you a reasonable amount. Deal?”

“Deal.” She shook Scorpia’s claw, then gently took it to lead her through the hallway.

To no one’s surprise, they found themselves bickering and shushing each other through the plan, but Adora was surprised that they were actually pulling it off. They actually made a semi-decent team. She ended up not dropping Scorpia's claw even when she could have, and she didn't have a reason why.

“You need to focus, okay? Nothing else matters!” She snapped, trying to get Scorpia to calm down after she had knocked out the guards. _ Geez, what was she like as a kid if she cries like this now? _ Adora wondered what it would have been like if she and Scorpia had grown up together instead of Catra. She could actually see them....getting along. _ Maybe she would have left with me. Not that it matters._

It was when they were hiding in Hordak’s lab, one second before everything went to hell, their faces close, when Adora took in Scorpia’s dark brown eyes, the slope of her nose, and a dangerous thought crossed her mind. 

_ I could kiss her right now. _

\------------------------------------------------

Adora is the one holding the rebellion together now, while Glimmer mourns and the other princesses are shaken up. Queen Angella’s loss has been a devastating blow. They need an unexpected blessing. They need someone with insider information or a runestone. They need.....

Her jaw drops open when a guard escorts Scorpia into the war room, saying she wants to join the rebellion. 

They grew up in adjoining barracks but never met until now. They were so similar yet so different, had spent months dancing around each other, two winking stars never destined to meet, two lost princesses. Maybe destiny meant for Scorpia to stay in the horde, for Adora to be She-Ra, for them to just stay as enemies.

Maybe destiny was wrong.

“So what do you think? Breaking into the Horde and stealing back my family’s runestone sounds so crazy but...”

“We really could do it. Together.” Adora smiled up at Scorpia. “There’s no one else I’d rather break into the Fright Zone with.”


	2. Chapter 2

“You have got to realize how crazy this all sounds.” Glimmer said from the throne room. A small version of a queen’s crown lay on her head but there was no joy in her face as she wore it. “She was a force captain, what, like two days ago?” She pointed at the scorpion woman awkwardly seated at the war table, admiring the hologram images.

“I was also loyal to the horde and I changed!” Adora protested. 

"That was different....." 

"Why, because I'm also She-Ra?" Adora looked at her best friend with pleading eyes. "She's a princess, and it's my destiny to unite the princesses. When I was completely out of it in that snowstorm, she _ protected _ me. The Black Garnet is what the Horde is using around to create natural disasters around Etheria, if we can just...." 

".....do you know just how dangerous going back to the Fright Zone is? I....." Glimmer paused for a second, turning away, and there were tears in her eyes. "Look, if this is what ultimately helps the Rebellion, then you should go. I shouldn't stop you." 

Adora pulled the smaller girl into a tight hug. "I'll be back soon, Glim. Safe and sound."  
\------------------------------------------------------  
"OK, so we have to start packing whatever we might need. What did you bring with you? What do you like to eat that can travel well?" Adora started formulating a plan in her head as she and Scorpia walked down the hallway of Brightmoon's castle.

"Sorry, but what's with the pink haired girl? She looks sad, is she okay?" 

"When Catra opened the portal, her mother....Queen Angella...sacrificed herself to close it, to save all of us." Adora found herself more emotional than she anticipated when talking about it, letting a tear roll down her cheek. Angella was the closest thing to a mother she had known. 

"I'm sorry. She...she sounds like a great person." Scorpia said. Adora nodded, distracting herself from crying by going through the supplies. _ Do we need rope? A grappling hook? _ She heard Scorpia say quietly, "It's my fault, isn't it?" 

"It's not your fault." Adora shoved bread into the bag with a little more force than was necessary. _ That's something I would say. I guess we're more similar than I realized. _ "You didn't make Catra open that portal. You're not responsible for anything she does." 

"Just I can't help but think if I did or said something different, maybe she'd change, maybe she wouldn't be so....."

"I used to think that too, but I realized I was wrong. We're not responsible for Catra's actions, we didn't cause any of this. Just....together, we can fix what she broke." 

"Together. I like that." Scorpia echoed, trying to get some smaller things in the satchel and struggling with it. "Aw shit...." 

"Here, I've got it." Adora gently reached over to get them, her hand brushing Scorpia's claw. She thought back to the last time they had worked together, how she had ended up putting her hand on her claw and not letting go as they ran through the corridors together. She felt her face turn hot. _ Why am I acting so weird?_

\-------------------------------------------------------------

"So I don't think anyone's figured out that we've teamed up yet." Scorpia explained as the two of them trekked through the forest together. "If we run into anyone from the Horde, we'll pretend that you're my prisoner, ok?" 

"Ok, but fair warning: I'm not a good actor." Adora was secretly comforted by the fact that Scorpia had come up with some sort of plan to handle the situation. 

They had been walking for a few hours when they spied what looked like Horde soldiers approaching them. _ Shit! _ They came closer and she saw the faces of Lonnie, Kyle, and Rogelio. _ Well, hopefully, they won't give us too much trouble. _

"Oh, hey guys!" Scorpia said cheerfully. "I mean....stop trying to resist, prisoner!" She took Adora's wrists into her claw. 

Adora pretended to struggle against Scorpia. "You'll never take Brightmoon!" 

"First of all, you two are terrible actors." Lonnie said, wielding her taser. "Second of all, you two are traitors and I'm guessing you both know what traitors get in the Horde." 

Adora prepared her sword for a fight, but Scorpia seemed confident that she could talk to her fellow Horde members. 

"Everyone, we can talk this out...." Panic rose in her voice as Rogelio pulled out a long fighting stick. and even Kyle pointed a dagger at them. ".....or not." 

"For the Honor of...." Before Adora could finish her sentence, Rogelio hit her with his stick, her sword flying out of her hand. 

Adora crawled on the ground to get to her sword, watching Scorpia attempt to dodge Lonnie's taser. _ Scorpia has fought me in my She-Ra form before, and was winning. I know she could easily overpower them, so why doesn't she? _

"You were our leader! And you left us!" Lonnie swept her tazer across the air, Scorpia jolting back. "We trusted you!" 

"Lonnie, I might be working with She-Ra for now, but that doesn't mean I've abandoned the Horde!" Scorpia moved around Lonnie, catching her off guard and pulling her arms above her head to restrain her without hurting her. She chose her words carefully. "The Horde isn't the same one that we grew up in, can't you see that? Now they're corrupt, self-serving, violent....but I think I can change that." _ No, they've always been like that.....well, it makes sense that Scorpia thinks that way....It's not like she would join the rebellion overnight....._ Adora thought to herself. 

"And then you'll come back?" Lonnie asked in a soft voice.

"Yes, then I'll come back. Just...can you not say you saw us?”

“We can do that.” _ They really trust her, don’t they? _ “Come on guys, let’s go.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------  
Adora wrapped a blanket around herself as night fell. The two of them had pitched camp in a clearing and built a small campfire which Scorpia was attempting to cook dinner on. _ I might see Catra tomorrow, I have to get it together...._

"Food's ready!" Scorpia chirped, practically pushing a plate into Adora's hands. Adora didn't particularly feel like eating, but she knew Scorpia had worked hard on making it, so she took a few bites. It was strangely silent as they ate. _ If Bow and Glimmer were here, they be talking non-stop, joking around or playfully fighting about something._ Bow had wanted to come along with her, but she had insisted that Glimmer needed him more.

“This is actually pretty good!” Adora said through a mouthful of food. 

“Thanks! Cooking was always my job when I camped with my squad mates.” Scorpia gazed into the fire. “Even after I got promoted to force captain, I kept doing it. If you do a relatively menial task, everyone else will do their part. Usually.” 

As they cleaned up dinner, Scorpia asked, “Do you want to play a game? Or we could take turns reading to each other....” 

“We’re on a mission to the Fright Zone and you brought games and books?" 

"Well, it's good to have something fun to do every once in a while." 

"I guess we could play cards or something." They set up a card game, Adora focusing on Scorpia's face as she stared at the cards in her hand. She had a million questions she wanted to ask, but she didn't ask any of them. "You should meet my friend Bow. He loves fantasy novels and he's always playing this game with miniatures...." 

At night, Adora found herself in the tent, using a lantern to read a small astrology book. _ For such a strong fighter, she's actually pretty girly. _ Adora had never been much into astrology, but it was calming enough to read before bed. She knew her astrological sign, a Capricorn, and Catra's, a Scorpio. Without even meaning to, she flipped to the compatiblity section of the book.....and then closed it suddenly. _ It doesn't matter _

Suddenly, curiosity filled her mind. "Scorpia, when is your birthday?"

"July 5th..." She said sleepily. 

Adora nervously flipped to "Capricorn and Cancer", which read "...the two signs are opposed on the zodiac wheel, but also have incredible compatibility, making them a polarity.....their differing skills and personalities compliment each other well.... they become perfect lovers for one another." 

Adora slammed the book closed again. _ Stupid book. _ She laid back, looking up at the fabric that separated her from the night sky. Suddenly, she felt strangely alone, and small in the universe. When she was She-Ra, she was strong, powerful, indispensable. As Adora, she was just a young woman who had left the Horde, who was camping out in the center of a dark forest. 

"Are you still awake?"

"Oh...yeah....yeah, I'm up." 

"This is gonna sound so weird but like....can we cuddle?" 

"Of course! I love cuddling!" Scorpia seemed to think nothing of it. 

Adora climbed into Scorpia's sleeping bag. Any awkwardness she initially felt dissipated as she leaned into the attractive ice blonde woman, holding her tightly. _ She really is a good cuddler. _ Scorpia had already fallen asleep, and as Adora began to drift off she found only one thought on her mind. 

_ I think I have a crush on her. Just a little bit. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes those are their actual astrological signs


	3. Chapter 3

"What does it feel like when you transform into She-Ra?" Scorpia asked as the two women made their way into the edge of the Fright Zone. It was strangely barren, with piles of scrap metal and old machinery. 

Adora thought for a second. "It feels like....a rush of power running through me, something I can't completely control. Have you ever tapped into the Black Garnet's power?" 

"No. I don't think I was even born with any kind of connection to it. When I was younger, they used to try to force a connection, but I could never calm down long enough to harness it, I guess." 

"Well, that makes things easier than. If we can't transport it by ourselves, we can just destroy it without any real loss. I know it was your family's but...." 

"It's okay. Sometimes....sometimes I don't even know why my family allied with the Horde." Scorpia clapped her hand over mouth. "Oh, wait, that's technically treason....."

"Don't worry, it's not like I'm gonna turn you in." Adora tried to climb up a mountain of scrap metal, then slid down it. "Dammit." 

"It's just like.....are they just doing bad things now, or have they always been doing the wrong thing? I don't know, and...." She stopped, noticing Adora struggling. "Here, I've got you." She easily picked up Adora with one arm as she cleared a path with her other scorpion claw. Adora took a deep breath in to try to calm down her racing heart. "You good, ponytail? I can feel your heart pounding all the way from here. I know we might have to fight someone, but we'll be doing it together." 

"I-it's not that. Everything is okay, I promise."  
\----------------------------------------------------------

"So how the hell are we gonna disguise this thing long enough to get out of the Fright Zone?" Adora ran her fingertips along the imposing Black Garnet that stood in front of them, wires and connectors wrapped around it. It had been almost too easy to get into the Fright Zone. Once they were alone with the Black Garnet, Adora had transformed into She-Ra, so moving it was easy enough. Now, they just had to get it out. 

"Let's see....if we just...." Scorpia's eyes darted around the massive object as she thought about possible ways to get it out. As soon as she touched the tip of her claw to the runestone, it was like the strength had been taken out of her, and she collapsed to the ground gasping for air. 

"Shit! Scorpia!" As if on cue, alarm bells started ringing and the door to the Black Garnet's room slammed open, dozens of Horde soldiers pouring in. Adora immediately took up her sword and sprang into action, using her super strength to knock out several of them with her sword. 

_ They just keep coming, I don't know how much longer I can hold them off....._

Another woman's voice rang out from the distance. "I know the sewers like the back of my hand now, so you better back off!" Mermista said as she went hand to hand with a Horde soldier, followed by Perfuma and Frosta. She noticed Adora's shocked expression. "What, you thought Glimmer wasn't gonna send us to come help you guys?" 

The influx of soldiers slowed down, and Adora had no trouble defeating them with the help of the other princesses, but Adora was still concerned about Scorpia's condition. The ice blonde woman seemingly had recovered from her earlier episode, but Adora had no idea what had caused it.

"So, I have an idea for transporting the Black Garnet." Perfuma said after the fight had finished. "If I wrap it around in my vines and we turn it sideways, it should just be able to fit inside the sewers." Adora nodded, and they started to make their way back to the sewers, but more soldiers were quickly gaining on them. 

"You guys need to go and protect the runestone. I'll stay here and fight them off." Adora said. 

"I'll stay here with her." Scorpia volunteered. "I know this place like the back of my hand." 

"OK, well, don't die or whatever." Mermista said as they parted.

Scorpia and Adora stood back to back, prepared to fight the influx of soldiers. Yet to their suprise, the Horde soldiers didn't move to attack them, instead just standing rigidly in formation. A group of them parted ways, and there stood.... 

\----------------------------------------------------

"Hey, Adora." _ Catra...._ Catra approached, confident as ever. Seeing her former best friend's face still stung. _ I have to be strong. I can't blame myself for her actions anymore._ "Aww, you and your little loser friends are trying to steal the Black Garnet from us? I can't even...." Catra's eyes widened. 

"....Scorpia? You're with them now?" For the first time, Adora saw Catra's eyes fill with hurt. Was she feeling....sorrow? anger? genuine remorse? 

"This isn't what it looks like! Catra, you have to understand why I did this...."

"I don't have to understand shit! I thought you were different, I thought you weren't like everyone else, not like _ her _..." She scoffed in Adora's direction. "....but you ran off and left me just like she did!" Fine." Catra's eyes return to the steely coolness that Adora was so used to seeing. "Seize them and throw them in a cell." Even after trying to fight off her captors, Adora was easily put in handcuffs, but the group of Horde soldiers seemed hesitant to restrain Scorpia. _ I guess they still feel loyal to her. _

"You're not taking us anywhere." Scorpia and Catra grappled with each other for a few seconds before Scorpia easily pinned Catra's arms behind her back. "Just let us go for now, okay? Just trust me..."

Catra paused, thinking for a moment, before speaking. "Do you know where Entrapta is right now? She got put on a boat to Beast Island yesterday, I hear she cried like a baby the whole time...." 

"I....I didn't think you would really...." Scorpia had fear in her voice that Adora had never heard before. "Adora, we have to go find her, we have to save her...." She stopped, wincing in pain as Catra escaped from her grasp, scratching her across her face. Adora felt as if she were far away, in some dreamlike state. The black smoke on the floor was getting higher, she observed calmly. " I thought I loved you, but...." What seemed like a million pieces of a mirror came from Scorpia's claw as she swung it, and she jumped back in shock. 

_ To connect with the Black Garnet, you don't need to be calm. You need to get emotional. _ Adora thought to herself. _ And Scorpia has no idea how to control it...._

"Why are you even doing this? Is it some weird guilt complex? You're just like Adora. You do one good thing and think that absolves you from everything else. You're weak and naive and that's why you two are going to lose. Hell, you've been used as a pawn your entire life. Or did you really believe your family just gave up the Black Garnet willingly?"

"Catra, stop!" Adora struggled against her restraints. 

"....and all this time, the Horde has just been keeping you here to keep your people in line, because they think their precious little ruler will come back to save them. And now you think the princesses are gonna be your new best friends? They only want you for what you can give them. That's how people are, you're just too blind to see it...." 

"I am not a pawn!!" Scorpia's voice echoed through the room, making the walls shake. The swirling darkness almost completely enveloped the room, and Adora could feel herself getting more lightheaded by the second. Catra was caught closest to Scorpia, and she was visibly struggling to breathe. 

"What the hell are you doing.?" Catra said through her coughing. 

"I don't....I can't control it...." Scorpia said, her voice cracking. 

_ I need to get through to her......_ Adora started to push her way through the heavy darkness. "Scorpia! You need to just focus on my voice, okay?"

Adora used all her strength to make her way to the eye of the swirling storm. "I know it hurts to have what you thought was the truth be completely wrong. I know it hurts to have to fight with someone you care about....but I promise you, you are not a pawn. I know we don't know each other really well yet, but I already know that you're not weak, and your kindness is your strength." She was in the eye of the storm now, and everything was strangely calm right around Scorpia. "Every problem you have right now is solvable, but we need to work together to do it." Adora didn't know what else to say, so she pulled the taller woman in for a hug, and surprisingly, felt herself being hugged back. 

It was like the light in Scorpia's eyes had gone back to normal. "What....what was all of that? I just.....thanks for bringing me back to reality, blondie. That was scary" 

"Anytime." She wasn't in a hurry to break apart from Scorpia, but Catra was starting to get back on her feet. "We should go." She took Scorpia's claw and they started to leave together. 

"Catra, you have it in you to change." Scorpia called out as they left.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
It had been a few days since their Fright Zone quest, but Adora hadn't found it in herself to really relax. In two days, they were going to head to Beast Island, to rescue Entrapta. _ I hope she's okay until we can come find her..._ Adora thought as she walked through the Brightmoon gardens. 

"Adora!" Scorpia called. "I made a new friend!" She turned around, holding a white duck in her arms. "He'll let you pet him if you want!! I named him Quackers." 

Adora softly petted the duck. _ He's really adorable..._

"I actually drew a picture of him....." Scorpia showed Adora a sketch of a duck she had drawn. "I've been trying to draw a little bit every day. I even have a drawing of you somewhere...." She searched her sketchpad until she found a picture of Adora. 

Adora was no artist, but her face was recognizable. "That's pretty good! I don't think my forehead is that big though...." 

"You were fun to draw! It's nice to draw someone who's pretty." 

"I..." _ Did she call me pretty? Is this flirting? _ "Wow, is that a tree? That looks like a cool tree. How long have you been drawing for?" She asked awkwardly.

"Ah, actually...." As they talked next to each other, Adora thought to herself, _ I need to tell her how I feel. I just need to figure out how..._


	4. Chapter 4

Adora could taste salt in the air as she walked through the Salineas docks with Mermista, Sea Hawk, and Scorpia. Since the Sea Gate had been repaired, the kingdom had mostly to returned to its bustling state. All around her, workers were hauling fish in nets, repairing the thick hulls of boats, or selling all sorts of trinkets and wares that were sea inspired for tourists who might pass by. She caught a glimpse of Sea Hawk's refurbished boat in the distance. Sea Hawk was going to sail Scorpia and Adora to Beast Island where they were hoping to rescue Entrapta. It had taken them a while to even figure out where Beast Island was, but with Scorpia's former Horde experience combined with Sea Hawk and Mermista's 

"Woah, these fish are so colorful!" Scorpia peered into a tank of tropical neon-colored fish that were for sale. They had managed to get her clothes that weren't her Horde uniform, a loose white tunic with open shoulders as well as navy linen pants. 

"Adora..." As Sea Hawk and Scorpia ran ahead to look at another display, Mermista pulled Adora to the side. "Do you think when you rescue Entrapta, we can get her to rejoin the Princess Rebellion? Or whatever. "

"I...I don't know. Entrapta has honestly always been pretty unpredictable. " Adora searched for the right words in her head to match the disappointment that clouded Mermista's stormy ocean blue eyes. "I know she was close to Hordak, but I think Scorpia was also one of her good friends, and now she's on our side." 

"So she'll have to choose, I guess." Mermista stared down at her shoes.

"I'd imagine she'd be pretty grateful that we rescued her. This mission will be completely successful, I know it." Adora tried to make her voice sound as confident as she could. 

\-----------------------------------  


Adora stared up at the darkness in wonderment, cross legged on the wood floor of the boat. Sea Hawk had taken the first night shift of watching the boat while she slept for a few hours, and now her shift was in the middle of the night. A lantern next to her was her only light source against the pulsating darkness, but it didn't feel oppressive or scary, instead it was almost calming. 

"Adora?" A calming voice shook her out of her thoughts. "I brought you coffee so you could stay up." Scorpia shook a thermos she was holding in her claw.

"Thanks!" Adora took a sip of the coffee. "Oh, wow, this is really sweet...." The drink had sugar and cream poured into it to the point where it was almost unrecognizable as coffee, but she still drank it for the caffeine. 

"Scorpia, you don't have to stay-" "Do you mind if I stay?" They spoke at the exact same time. 

"You can stay if you want to." Adora shuffled over so Scorpia could sit next to her. They sat in an awkward silence for a few moments.

"When we're on the water, it seems _ so _ dark, doesn't it? My mom used to tell me this legend about the girl who stole the sun and all the stars in the sky, and just left the moons." _ She must have meant Mara, who plunged us into Despondos to save us from the Horde. And the Horde came anyways. _ Adora thought to herself. 

"It's funny, I never thought of that legend until last month, when Catra and I went into the Crimson wastes and she became a gang leader."

"I....." Adora felt a giggle well up inside her. Scorpia hadn't intended to be funny, but just saying that Catra had become a gang leader in such a matter-of-fact tone....."Sorry, the way you said that was just really funny somehow...." 

"You know, it kinda.....was? Like there was a dramatic fight and she tossed me her jacket, and..." Scorpia broke into a peal of laughs. It was such a strange thing to laugh about, but they both laughed about their former friend and their memories with her. 

"....and then she was like, "I'm going to become a cowboy", but...." Adora said as tears rolled down her face in laughter. "We had some good times together. Even if she eventually did try to destroy the world and everything else." She leaned back on her hands. "I wonder what things have been like if she had joined the Rebellion with me." 

"Yeah, sometimes I wonder what things would have been like if we had stayed in the Crimson Wastes. That was all I ever wanted, you know? Not to be Force Captain, or have some great power, just to be happy with people I care about." 

"Mhm. I don't even really know what I want. All I wanted was to gain respect in the Horde and stay with Catra. Now, I'm She-Ra and I'm trying to save the world, but I don't even know what my own goals are."

"Well, after you finish saving the world, I'm sure you can find a new dream that you want to reach." 

"Eventually, would you want to fall in love with someone?" Adora suddenly asked, her voice shaking like a feather in the wind. 

"Yeah, I'd like that. I had a crush on Catra for a while, and that went pretty badly as you know, but I want to believe that I could feel the same about someone else." There was an awkward pause. "What about you?" 

"I mean, I'm pretty clueless about anything having to do with love or romance, but I honestly....." She took a deep breath in. "....I think I have feelings for someone." 

"Really?" Scorpia asked, curiosity on her face. 

"I know you talked about me eventually finding a new dream." Her eyes, icy blue in the darkness, met Scorpia's. "But right now, I think everything I want is right in front of me." 

"Adora, I....." She didn't speak another word, but Adora could feel both of them leaning in towards each other, the waves softly crashing against the deck of the ship. Dawn was starting to break, streaks of pink and orange making their way through the sky. 

_ There's a million reasons why we shouldn't be doing this. I'm sure it'll raise questions in the Rebellion if I'm caught kissing someone who just left the Horde. I don't think either of us are completely over Catra yet. I think....._

As her lips met Scorpia's, feeling her hands wrapping around the taller woman to pull her closer, she didn't think anything anymore. She just felt. She just felt a rush of affection, of warmth,the beginnings of love.


	5. Chapter 5

"I didn't realize Beast Island would be so.......organized." Adora said as she gazed at the island that they were approaching on the bow of Sea Hawk's ship. When she had imagined Beast Island, Adora had always imagined a deserted, wild jungle full of frightening creatures. At least, that's what she heard in the scary stories the cadets used to tell each other. Instead, the island that loomed before them was reminiscent of the Fright Zone in terms of structure, just with the added fact that it was a maximum security prison with guards everywhere.

"It's okay! I thought it was a legend even when everyone else knew it was real." Scorpia said, attempting to be comforting.Taking in Adora's worried face, she caught on to what was bothering the blonde woman. "Hey, I know this is gonna change our plan a little.....well, a lot, but we can get through it! We broke into the Fright Zone before, didn't we?"

"Mhm." Adora didn't respond, her eyes focusing on the bright blue water in front of them. _ Only this time, there's no princess alliance to come help us, there's no cadets who are loyal to Scorpia, we're not going to... _She felt her fingers move along the edge of the wooden ship until they reached Scorpia's claw, and felt a bit better.

"Should I pull in closer?" Sea Hawk asked from the helm.

"No, we'll just take a raft out. I don't want them to notice that you're here." Adora gave a last look at her sword._ There's no way to hide it if I'm inspected. Maybe it's best to just leave it here_. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------

They had been paddling for what seemed like hours, the hot sun beating against the crystal clear water, and were almost at Beast Island when a scout from the lookout tower called down to them.

"Who are you? There is no trespassing here and I will not hesitate to....."

_ Oh shit...._

However, he continued. ".....wait, Force Captain Scorpia? Who's that with you? What happened to your ship?"

_ Oh my God, they don't realize that Scorpia defected from the Horde! Things are going way better than I could have imagined.....we can go undercover and sneak out Entrapta from there._

"This is a new....cadet? Who I'm bringing for..... training?" Scorpia called out, a little too much hesitance in her voice. "Our ship, uh, burned down in a fire."

"Very well. You can disembark over that way."

When they reached shore, they found themselves greeted by the Beast Island guards. Adora found herself putting on a Horde cadet uniform, which felt almost alien against her skin. She had anticipated the guards would grill her and Scorpia with questions, but they seemed to be lazy and ambivalent. Even in the main watchtower, all the guards were just sitting in a circle drinking beer and playing cards.

"Hey, so I know you guys are busy, but did you have a new arrival who has like....long pink hair that she uses as hands and also is a genius?" Scorpia asked.

"Why should we know? We only need to make sure no one leaves, not checking who actually arrives." One of the guards said.

"Ah, yeah, ok......" Scorpia and Adora gave each other a knowing look, and went to the corner of the room to talk. 

"So, she could be anywhere. We should split up and start searching the women's cells." Adora glanced around the room nervously. A thought darted through her brain. _ If Catra was here, she would find an easier way to do this. _ She had never had to make the plans growing up, it had always been Catra who had been the schemer and plotter, and she was guessing Catra and Scorpia had the same dynamic. _ But we don't have Catra anymore. _

\----------------------------------------------------

Adora walked through the holding cells, carefully checking each one for Entrapta. Most of the prisoners seemed resigned to a corner of their cell, staring blankly up at the ceiling or crying into a corner. Chills ran up her spine as she walked through the squalid prison. 

"Agh!" Adora felt someone tug her ponytail and yank her against a wall, pressing a dagger through her throat. A lantern nearly blinded her as she came face to face with a prisoner. The woman had to be in her mid forties, with grey-streaked hair, hard eyes, and a snarl on her face. 

"I can't believe they let a cadet wander in here alone. Stupid."

"No, please, I'm not....if they find you doing this, they'll....." Adora's mind was racing a mile a minute. The woman really looked like she meant to kill her, and she didn't have her sword to transform.  
  
"What, you think I care? I've suffered for too long to give a damn. This is for my daughter, you piece of shit...."   
  
Adora let her voice drop to a whisper as the blade came nearer. "I'm undercover, I'm with the princess alliance, don't hurt me...."   
  
Surprised, the woman withdrew her blade. "So are you delusional? Or just stupid? Princesses are selfish, and care only for themselves." She leaned back against the cell bars, casually fiddling with her knife. _ How did she get out of her holding cell? How did she even get ahold of a knife? _   
  
"I don't know what the Horde has told you, but that's not true." 

"I was a princess once, believe it or not. It doesn't matter now. What are you here for?"   
  
"I'm looking for a young woman with long pink hair, very technologically savvy, kind of an oddball?" _ She almost tried to kill me, but she seems like she knows her way around this place. _

"Yeah, I think I know who you're talking about. Follow me. And speak up, I'm hard of hearing. " She began to lead Adora through the maze of holding cells, up and down flights of stairs and crooked, narrow hallways. 

"So you.....were a princess? Are a princess?" 

"A long, long, time ago, I was Princess Raushan. I lived in a palace, and had servants, and was practically the richest person on Etheria. Our kingdom was in a desert but it was vibrant and full of life and knowledge. And then the Horde invaded." 

"And then they imprisoned you here?" 

"It's not that simple." Raushan lead Adora through another set of doors. "I was about your age when it all happened. I didn't want to immediately lead my people in a war, so I chose to let them stay. Other kingdoms tried to resist them, and all of them failed. We had two choices: fight and die in a blaze of valiant glory, or live a life of deference to the Horde. I chose the latter. I was reduced to a menial servant on my own lands, but I still married, had a child, held hope that one day we could subvert the Horde from within. Until _ she _ started getting more and more powerful, trying to draw power from my family's runestone. We had a fight, Hordak sided with her over me, and I got shipped off here. " 

"You mentioned you had a daughter. Did something happen.....?"

"I don't know. She was only a little girl when we were separated. She was so sweet and caring....too good for the Horde. Honestly, she's probably dead right now." She bit her lip so hard it could draw blood. "Anyways, this is where your friend is." She used a lockpick that she had hidden in her hair to unlock the door to Entrapta's cell.

"Entrapta!" Adora ran towards the pink haired woman who had been carving something into the wall of her cell, pulling her into a tight hug. "You're ok!" 

"You.....came to rescue me?" Shock was apparent in Entrapta's shaky voice.

Adora leaned in close."Yeah, Scorpia came too. And Glimmer and Mermista and everyone else are waiting for you to come back too." Entrapta looked okay physically, but there was no way to tell what she had been through emotionally. "No princess left behind, right?" 

Adora turned towards the woman standing by the cell doors. "If you wanted to leave with us, you could." 

To her surprise, Raushan declined. "I can't, I have nothing left out there. Everyone I know and care about is here." 

"Raushan, if I find your daughter, would you...." Adora stopped talking as the room started to shake violently. _ Oh my God, where's Scorpia? _ " We need to leave, now. We have to find my friend."

"Oh, Scorpia?" Entrapta asked as they quickly made their way toward the door.

"Wait, did you say....." They got outside before Raushan could finish, finding what seemed like a windstorm around them, pieces from the watchtower flying everywhere. 

"What are you staring at? Run!" A guard from before, still slightly intoxicated, clumsily ran past them. "She's gone mad!" 

_ Aw shit. _ "OK, I need everyone to stay calm. Scorpia has powers that she can't control sometimes. I don't know what exactly set her off, but I can reach her, I've done it before."

"No, I can do it." Raushaun took in the puzzled look on Adora's face. "You don't understand, I'm her......"

In the eye of the storm, Scorpia suddenly turned towards them, her tearstreaked eyes wide with emotion, and then suddenly, realization. 

"......Mom?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> made some minor edits so i updated chapter publication date

_ Everything makes so much sense now. _ Adora glanced back and forth between Raushan and Scorpia. _ They do look kinda similar except for the hair color and Scorpia’s claws and tail...._

Scorpia’s eyes were wide with shock, her breathing heavy. “Mom, I thought you were dead.....I....” 

“Scorpia!” Entrapta bounded up to her. “You came to rescue me!” 

“Entrapta, you’re okay!” The windstorm around her subsided as relief washed over her face, and she wrapped Entrapta in a hug. 

Unfortunately, the remaining guards had regrouped, starting to mount an attack against them. Adora narrowly dodged a spear strike as she jumped backwards, feeling herself almost fall to the ground.

She instinctively caught a heavy sword tossed in her direction, and noticed who had thrown it. 

“Sea Hawk, it’s not safe here! You might get injured!” _ How did he get past everyone? _ She thought to herself. 

“Well, it’ll make a good story! Plus,I hear ladies go wild for injured guys.” 

Adora clutched her sword, letting the otherworldly power of it flow through her veins as she transformed into She-Ra. During her transformation, she had time to think about what her next move would be. While she could probably choose to fight the soldiers, she didn't want to risk getting anyone else hurt.

“You’re going to let all these prisoners go.” Adora walked towards the head guards, holding her head high. _ I have to hope that I’m intimidating enough. _ “And you’re going to let us take some of your boats back with us. And you’re not going to tell Hordak about any of this until tomorrow.” 

“Yeah, alright, princess, and where the hell are they gonna go back to?” A guard snickered. 

“I......” Adora hadn’t thought that far ahead. Their homelands had mostly been taken over by the Horde. 

“They’ll come back to Salineas.” Sea Hawk said, his voice firm. “Princess Mermista will let them stay there for as long as they need to.”

“And I’m sure Glimmer and the other princesses will too.” Scorpia chimed in. Adora noticed her claw was injured, but it didn’t seem to phase her in the moment. 

“What happens if we refuse?” A guard asked.

Even in her She-Ra form, Adora felt the weight of her sword in her hands. “Then I’ll have to fight you.” 

“Guys, this fight ain’t worth our lives. What has the Horde ever done for us? Left us here on this rock to rot?” One of the head guards turned to the others. “Let’s let them go.”

\------------------------------------------------------  
"Sorry, I kind of lost control back there." Scorpia sighed as they sat in the poorly kept Beast Island infirmary,wincing as Adora bandaged up her injured claw. 

"It's okay. When I'm in my She-Ra form, I don't....I don't feel fully in control either. The sword or whatever kind of controls my actions. The Black Garnet probably works the same way for you." 

They fell into a silence for a few moments. 

"Catra had always said Shadow Weaver had been messing with our minds since we were kids. I feel like...maybe she might have messed with yours too. Maybe subconsciously accessing those memories is what’s causing your powers to be so out of control. Or what’s even giving you your powers in the first place.” She glanced at the armful of bottles she had pulled out of the medicine cabinet. She had basic first aid knowledge - all Horde cadets did - but she had never treated someone with Scorpia’s unique physiology before. “Okay, so you’ve gotta try and remember which of these look familiar when you’ve gotten hurt before. 

Scorpia furrowed her brow. “Uh...shit....maybe this one?” She pointed at a green glass bottle. “Sorry you have to do all of this. I know it’s kinda shitty work being stuck playing nurse.” 

“It’s not. ” Adora locked eyes with Scorpia’s gentle brown ones. “Not if it’s you.” 

Her breath caught in her throat as someone knocked on the door, signaling that they were ready to head back to the mainland. 

“We should start heading out.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------  
"That is what you call a ......sea....shan-tee?" Raushan asked Sea Hawk as she clutched the railing of his ship. Raushan had never even been near an ocean before she had been transported to Beast Island. Sea Hawk's boat, as well as the other boats that they had taken from Beast Island, were filled with former prisoners, as well as whatever supplies they could take from Beast Island. 

“How’s Entrapta doing?” Adora sat on a cushion on the boat as Scorpia came up onto the deck. 

“A little shaken up, but I think she’ll mostly be fine. She’s sleeping now.” She sat down next to Adora,crossing her legs. “How are you doing? You look kinda stressed.”

"Just....I thought coming here was frightening, but now, going home is....worse. Shadow Weaver....Shadow Weaver had been helping us with the rebellion, but now being reminded of all the stuff she's done to everyone....to your mom, to me, to Catra, to you....we can't just pretend like it didn't happen. But now, like, she's acting as Glimmer's mentor and I don’t know if....” Adora trailed off. 

"Look, I haven't talked to her a ton, but Glimmer obviously is someone who stands up for what she believes in. Just because she's using Shadow Weaver's power doesn't mean she's her pawn."

“I hate the Horde. I hate that they took everything from us and we’ve barely been able to strike back.” Adora’s grey-blue eyes matched the stormy horizon. 

“Adora, in less than a year, you’ve done more to help the Rebellion than since we were born.” Scorpia put a comforting claw on her shoulder. “They could never take away your dedication or your passion. And they could never take me away from you. They never will, I promise.” 

“Scorpia, I...thank you.” Adora said quietly. She didn’t quite know how to respond to how openly affectionate Scorpia was, although she appreciated it. “Do you think we knew each other growing up? And then our memories were wiped?”

“That would be really cool....but statistically, probably not.” Scorpia shrugged.

“That’s okay. It doesn’t matter.” Adora leaned back, looking at the thousands of stars that dotted the night sky. “It’s kind of a miracle we met at all, really.” 

The first time Adora had kissed Scorpia, it had been as the sun was rising, sweet and chaste. Only a little over a day had passed since then, but everything now seemed different. Almost everyone had headed inside for the night to sleep, so they were alone in the darkness of the balcony, the waves rocking them back and forth. As they gravitated towards each other, kissing again and again, harder and more passionate and more desperate, she pulled Scorpia closer and closer, because she had never wanted anything this much, never wanted to let go.


	7. Chapter 7

_One Month Later_

"Are you sure you want to come on this mission, Glimmer? It's kind of risky."   
  
"A good queen should be leading _with _her people." Glimmer put a hand on Adora's shoulder. "How often do we find a Horde base just waiting to be taken? Take down some bots, maybe beat up some baddies, it's nothing we haven't done before, right? Plus, we have a great team this time around." She gestured around at Bow, Scorpia, and Perfuma....and Shadow Weaver. 

"We do need a victory, especially after we've had to deal with all those refugees Adora's brought back from Beast Island." Shadow Weaver scoffed. 

"We're the good guys. We're about doing the right thing, not the easy thing. You'd do well to learn that here." Adora bit her lip, clutching her new gauntlet that held her runestone. 

"Maybe some of us make better fighters than leaders." Shadow Weaver gave Adora an icy glare. 

_At least Scorpia's making friends. _Adora looked at Scorpia, who was happily chatting with Bow and Perfuma. She and Entrapta had been adjusting well to Brightmoon life, and even Raushan had found her place as a fighting instructor. Through talking with Raushan, she had learned that Scorpia wasn't the only one who had trouble connecting with the Black Garnet. Unlike her sporadic bursts of power, Raushan had never connected with it even once,so she had compensated by leading her people into battle as a skilled melee fighter. 

"OK, I think this is the place!" Glimmer stopped in front of a large cavern with a line-up of bots inside. 

Adora carefully surveyed the bots, which had started to spring to life. Perfuma using the plants outside the cavern to cover the legs of the bots so other people could finish them in. As they started to make their first dent in the wave of bots, Adora noticed the bots weren't stopping, instead they were....

_Oh my God, they're reforming..... _Adora realized as one of the bots made a slash against Bow's arm. 

"Everyone needs to leave, now. I think this is a trap." Adora commanded, readying herself to transform into She-Ra. "I'll hold them off for as long as I can, to give you time to get away."

As Perfuma and Bow made their way to the exit, Glimmer looked back and forth,torn between staying with Adora or following Bow. An alarm started to ring, and the room started to flood with Horde soldiers.

"Glimmer, just go, we'll be fine...." Adora, in her She-Ra form, said as she punched a Horde soldier in the face. "I.....agh!" Agonizing waves of pain started to shoot through Adora's legs and she fell to the floor. 

"Adora!" Scorpia raced over to her, knocking out several Horde soldiers. "How did they.....Shadow Weaver?" A mixture of shock and realization dawned on Scorpia's face. Adora looked over to see Glimmer and Shadow Weaver fighting each other, magic against magic, but she couldn't even bring herself to stand. _What's going on? _

"Shadow Weaver, what are you doing...." Glimmer asked, but it sounded more like a plea for mercy than anything. 

"What I always should have. I was meant to rule, and now I'll finally get the chance to." She hurled another flurry of attacks at Glimmer, who collapsed on the floor unconscious. "Stupid little girl." 

"My mom was so right to never trust you." Scorpia aimed a strong punch at Shadow Weaver's jaw, but she dodged it at the last second. 

"And your mother ended up a prisoner at Beast Island for fifteen years." Adora could sense Shadow Weaver grinning behind her mask. "I always won, actually, I already have." In the blink of an eye, she had teleported away. _How did she learn how to do that?_

Adora felt herself get dizzier and dizzer, her eyelids getting heavier and heavier as she slumped to the floor. _I can't let myself fall asleep....._

\-----------------------------------------------

Adora woke up from a haze of strange nightmares. As her eyes slowly opened, she found herself in a cell that she instantly recognized as being in the Fright Zone.

“Adora, you’re okay!” Scorpia wrapped her in a tight hug. “I thought you were never gonna wake up and I was so scared...”

Adora returned the hug, letting Scorpia comfort her, before asking the million questions that had flooded her mind. “How long have I been out for?”

“A couple of days, I think? I woke about about six hours ago. We probably both had pretty bad concussions.”

"Where's Glimmer?"

"Adora, wait, she's not..." 

Adora turned to find Glimmer lying on her back on one of the prison mats, completely still. 

"Glimmer! Glimmer, please wake up." She said in a shaky voice as she hovered over Glimmer's body, anxious for any signs of life or movement. "It's me, it's Adora. Your best friend, remember? You have to wake up, we need to get out of here, you need to go back to Bow and your kingdom. Come on, please?" There was no response. Even the faint aura of sparkles that seemed to surround her best friend had completely vanished.

“She’s breathing and has a pulse.” Scorpia explained. “She’s still under that curse from Shadow Weaver.”

“Mhm.” Adora forced herself to steady her breathing. “Okay, maybe I could transform and we could break the bars?”

Two guards approached their cell, and Adora clutched her gauntlet.

"Don't worry, we're here to help." One of the guards lifted up their helmet, revealing Spinnerella underneath. 

"So, you're taking us back to Brightmoon Castle, right?" Scorpia asked as they deftly made their way through the maze of cells, gently holding Glimmer in her arms. 

"No,uhm..." Spinnerella and Netossa gave each other a look. "We're going to George and Lance's house. Bow is also there waiting for you, as well as the other princesses. And your mother, Scorpia. We think it’s better to explain it to you when we get there.” Netossa said in an attempt to be soothing.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The second they stepped into George and Lance's house, Adora found herself wrapped in a tight hug.

"You're alive!" Bow held Adora for a few seconds. "And how about Glimmer? I...." His face fell as he noticed the unconscious purple-haired girl. 

"She's alive, she's just under a spell of some kind." Adora explained as she glanced over at Scorpia, who was currently wrapped in a group hug from Raushan and Entrapta. "But what's going on, why are all of you here?" 

"Shadow Weaver." Mermista said in a grave tone, Sea Hawk sitting next to her. "She's seized control of Brightmoon, claiming you all died during your latest battle with the Horde. We knew that wasn't true, of course, but we all decided to regroup here and think of a plan. After the last time we were in the Fright Zone, Perfuma and I both started putting spies from our kingdoms in there, so we knew you were all in the holding cells."

"I imagine Shadow Weaver won't take kindly to the fact that we're all alive." Adora muttered. Deep down in her heart, she had wanted to believe Shadow Weaver had improved, but she had to push aside the feeling of shock in her heart. "We might have to storm the castle by force, but our first goal should be reviving Glimmer." 

"I can't believe that conniving, usurping little bitch. " Raushan sighed, carefully examining Glimmer. "I think if you found another highly skilled sorcerer, they would be able to remove the curse that your friend is under, but those are rare to come by these days." 

"This plant might also be useful, I know it's been rumored to break curses like this. " Perfuma pointed at a picture of a plant from one of George and Lance's books on medicine. "I think it's only found in certain parts of the Crimson Wastes, but I've also seen it in Brightmoon's gardens." 

"Brightmoon's gardens,huh?" Adora looked carefully at the plant, her mind whirring. 

"I have a plan." Adora turned to her fellow princesses and companions. The plan was risky, but it was the only thing they had. "We're going to get into Brightmoon castle, pose as waitstaff or guards, and steal that plant for Glimmer." 

"Adora, you know I'm behind you all the way, but what if you come face to face with Shadow Weaver?" Frosta asked. "Won't she recognize you?"  
  
"You do have a good point." Adora looked into an antique mirror. _What about me is really recognizable? _ She couldn't change her blue eyes or heart shaped face, but she felt the weight of her blonde ponytail on her shoulders. She looked over at Glimmer, who had been placed onto a couch, a blanket gently tucked around her, Bow holding her hand. 

_I'll save you, Glimmer. Whatever it takes. _

"Hey, Scorpia, I'm gonna need a favor from you, if that's okay?" Adora gently picked up a pair of silver scissors, feeling the weight of them in her hands.. 

"Of course, what do you need?" 

In one blunt chop, a foot and a half of golden blonde hair fell to the floor. "Teach me how to style short hair." 


	8. Chapter 8

_Aenthinte. _

_This rare plant seems to have the power to wake up those who have suffered under a number of sleeping curses, including...._

"You're still awake?" Adora looked up from her book to see Scorpia, who was also holding a pile of books in her arms. 

"Yeah, I know I should probably be getting some sleep, but I just couldn't help myself." She set the books down on table, gesturing around. "Just...I love it here so much! There's so much to read, and so much on art and history and even some stuff on my kingdom!" 

"Who are these people?" Adora leaned over, pointing at a page in Scorpia's book. 

"They're the Crimson Hawks. They were an elite group of all-female warriors!"  
  
"They look really badass." Adora took in the vision of the women in the red hoods and fitted leather armor. 

"You must think I'm such a nerd, but honestly even the architecture is really interesting." 

"I don't think that makes you a nerd, I think that makes you cute." Adora ran a hand through her newly-shortened hair. She had been on her sixth book on the plant that was rumored to help Glimmer, but felt like she was getting nowhere. "Uhm...this is kind of a weird question, but could we cuddle? In my bed?" She rarely was the one to initiate physical affection, usually Glimmer or Bow or Catra did that.

"Of course!" 

\------------------------------------------------

_I'm finally going to face Shadow Weaver one on one. _After hours of the princesses infiltrating the castle and taking down Shadow Weaver's goons, Adora was finally in Shadow Weaver's chamber. _I don't have to be afraid. Scorpia is right outside fighting the last of the guards. I'm She-Ra. I've got this._

"Oh, hello, Adora." If Shadow Weaver hadn't been expecting her, she sure wasn't showing it. "I hear you and your little friends have been sneaking around the castle." 

"It's over, Shadow Weaver. It's time to face justice for everything that you've done." Adora steadied her sword in her right hand. "For the Honor of Greyskull!" She felt ready to transform, but as she clutched the sword, nothing happened. 

_Shit. _ _I can't transform. _

"What did you _do?" _Adora hissed. There must have been some spell that Shadow Weaver had done that had prevented her from transforming, or....or....

"What?" For once, Adora caught a glimpse of surprise in Shadow Weaver's face. 

_Or maybe she didn't do anything. _

_No, no, no....I can't transform, and I don't know what to do......_ Adora felt her heart start to race, her mouth start to go dry, barely even noticing Shadow Weaver start to ready a magic attack. 

"Agh!!" She dodged out of the way, but she could still feel every bone in her right arm shatter to pieces as she collapsed to the ground in pain, but she couldn't bring herself to get up. _I can't transform, I can't transform, who even am I if I can't transform......_

Some faraway part of her mind registered Shadow Weaver preparing another attack, but she barely moved. 

"Adora!" She heard the door crash open, heard Scorpia's voice. "Adora, no!" She pushed Adora out of the way, but as they both hit the floor, Adora could still feel part of the spell hit the side of her face. _It's probably nothing. _

Instead of turning towards them again, Shadow Weaver instead started calmly walking down the back staircase. _Where is she going....._

"Don't follow her." Adora put her hand on Scorpia's arm. "I can't transform, and I don't know why. Let's just get everyone and leave." She struggled to get up, fighting through the pain. "Here, I know a back way so we won't run into as many guards." She held Scorpia's claw in her uninjured hand as she guided her through the pathways that she, Glimmer, and Bow had traveled through several times. She thought she knew the pathway, until she ran headfirst into a doorframe. 

_Has that always been there? I thought it was a few inches to the left._

And then it hit her. She lifted up her hand, covering up one of her eyes and then the other, only confirming what she had feared. 

_I can't see anything out of one of my eyes. _

"Adora, come on, we've gotta keep going."   
  
"I think Shadow Weaver's attack left me blind in one of my eyes." Adora stated, a little too calmly, still trying to process it. It didn't even feel like it was real, like anything was real, like she was real. 

"We can take care of that, we can fix that when we get home, okay?" Scorpia said in a soothing tone. _She's pretty good at masking what she's really feeling, isn't she? _"You just have to focus on me, just keep breathing." She gently scooped Adora up in her arms, holding her close. Despite hearing Scorpia's heart beat incredibly fast, Scorpia never broke her calm composure as she asked Adora to give her directions through the crooked hallways of the palace. 

"I smell smoke." Adora remarked as she lay limp in Scorpia's arms. 

"Yeah, I do too, but I think we're moving away from it." Scorpia turned a corner, almost running into Mermista.

"Hey, I gathered everyone else up so we can go. Oh my God, is Adora okay?" Mermista looked at Adora with concern.   
  
Scorpia bit her lip. "Shadow Weaver injured her, but it's not life threatening." 

As they started to make their exit, the last thing Adora saw from the castle was a blaze of orange where the castle gardens used to be. _That's where Shadow Weaver must have gone. _Adora thought numbly. _She went to go set the gardens on fire. And now they're burnt to a crisp, and with it, the Aenthinite. _

\----------------------------

"For the Honor of Grayskull!" Adora clutched the sword in her left hand, standing in front of her bed in the room that she was staying in. She had spent the past week recuperating, but her right arm, wrapped in a cast, still hurt like hell whenever she tried to use it, and her sight in her eye wasn't improving either. _But maybe I can still transform._

Nothing happened. 

She tried again, forcing herself to feel any sort of connection to the sword. She had never had to think about it before, it had always came automatically.

"Oh, fuck it!" She set the sword down on her bed, sitting down next to it in frustration.

"Everything okay?" Scorpia came in and sat down next to her on the bed.

"I just don't know why I can't transform into She-Ra anymore. I feel like I lost all my connection to it- like I lost everything that made me She-Ra. If there ever was anything special about me, it's gone now. "  
  
"I'm sure your powers aren't gone forever...could it be tied to your emotional state? Maybe it's because you're so nervous about Glimmer's condition? And I'm sure...everything you went through with Shadow Weaver hasn't made it any easier." Scorpia suggested. Adora suddenly became all too aware of her lack of vision in one eye, and the shattered bones in her right arm. _I don't want her to pity me. _

"Wait, let me try again." Adora reached for the sword, but due to her new lack of depth perception, she missed, and the sword clattered to the ground. Despite every effort not to, her eyes started to well with tears. 

"Hey, it's gonna be okay...we're gonna figure this out together...." Scorpia picked up the sword and carefully laid it in Adora's lap. 

"I just feel like such a failure." As she gazed into Scorpia's eyes, she was reminded of them together on the boat on the way back from Beast Island. "God, how could you even be attracted to me after this..." 

"Adora, I _love_ you."   
  
"What?" Adora had always dreamed of a day someone would tell her that romantically, but she never imagined it would be like this. 

"I love you, and I don't love you because you could turn into an 8 foot tall super soldier, or because of how many battles you've won. I love you for the person you are. I love how much you care about protecting others, I love how you never give up, I just love all of you. And I always will." 

Tears started to roll down Adora's cheeks. Love had always been conditional for her. God knew Shadow Weaver didn't show her proper parental love. Catra loved her, but it came with a laundry list of terms and conditions, it came with feeling like you fucked up a lot. She loved Bow and Glimmer, but it was different, and she was still afraid they might leave.She had never expected anyone would come along and just love her completely. 

"Sorry I'm crying......just, no one has ever loved me like that before.....and I love you too." She sniffled. "I love you so much. I love that you're so open and caring, I love that you're passionate about everything you do, I just see this light inside of you,and it completely mesmerizes me in a way I've never felt before."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Scorpia started to blush. "Geez, I never thought I'd meet anyone like you." 

Suddenly, everything just....clicked for Adora. _Maybe I can't transform, I'm half-blind, and my dominant arm is broken, but maybe I can still achieve what I need to. Everything I need, to solve all my problems, is right here. It's around me, it's within me, it's with her._

"Scorpia, would you go with me to the Crimson Wastes?"  
  
"I'd love to." Scorpia nodded.

Adora made her way down the stairs, looking at the shocked faces of her companions. "Hey, everyone. Princesses, I really appreciated you all being here, but I need you all to go home. Rule your kingdoms, protect them from the Horde. Scorpia and I are going to the Crimson Wastes. I'm not going to stop until Glimmer is completely healed. Uhm....Lance and George, would you mind keeping Glimmer safe here while we try to find a cure?" 

"Of course." 

As everyone started to talk in hushed tones, Adora made her way to a figure who was sitting in the windowsill, so quiet you'd barely notice her. "Raushan? You used to be a swordfighter, right?" 

"Let me guess, you want me to help teach you how to fight with your non-dominant hand? And to adapt to not being able to see out of one eye? And come with you to the Crimson Wastes? Yeah, I'll come along." Raushan answered.

"I'm coming too." Bow tapped Adora on the shoulder. "I want to help my best friends." 

"Bow, it could get dangerous...."   
  
"It's worth it." Bow put a hand on her shoulder. "There's nothing we can't achieve together."   
  
"Can I come too?" Entrapta bounded up to them, Scorpia at her side. "I can't really go home, since Dryl is still under Horde occupation, but I also want to help. I could help build a bot or something that you could use, and I want to be with my friends." 

"Yeah, you guys can come. We're leaving at dawn tomorrow." Adora looked around at the small group she had assembled. Bow, her best friend, and the best archer and most dedicated fighter she knew. Entrapta, one of the world's greatest scientists, who didn't even need a runestone. Scorpia, the woman she was in love with, a capable former Force Captain who had gone completely without magic for most of her life. Raushan, a princess who survived fifteen years at Beast Island without any powers. And her. No She-Ra, just Adora, just a former Horde kid who got swept up in a Rebellion. She felt a fire of hope start to stir inside of her. 

_We're going to save Glimmer and we're going to defeat Shadow Weaver. _

_And we're not going to need magic to do it._


	9. Chapter 9

Even camping in the Crimson Wastes, Scorpia still dreamed of a kingdom she never knew. She dreamed of lanterns lighting up the night sky, open air markets selling wares from around the world, observatories where researchers log all the stars, universities with thousands of books. 

_Is this why I always feel this ache in my chest? Even though I met Adora, even though I reunited with my mom, there's still thi...emptiness inside of me that I can never get rid of. _

Scorpia shook herself from her sleep, waking up in the tent that she shared with Adora, who was sleeping peacefully next to her.. If Scorpia could have everything her way, Adora would never need to worry about the Horde or Shadow Weaver or world-destroying portals ever again -but Queen Glimmer still needed to be woken up from her coma. Shadow Weaver still needed to be dealt with - gods knew how she was ruling Brightmoon. The Horde was also an omniprescent threat, even when they hadn't heard from them in a few days. 

_And after all that?_ Scorpia would be perfectly happy living a quiet life in some tranquil part of Brightmoon with Adora....but she was starting to accept the fact that she was a princess. It wasn't just some title the Horde could use to get into events like Princess Prom, it wasn't just having a connection to the Black Garnet, it meant that her family used to have a kingdom, and a unique culture, and citizens that were loyal to them. Citizens that were loyal to _her. _

_Were they working within the Horde, trying to ensure my safety? Are they still out there now, searching for me? _

\--------------------------------

"Now, close your eyes and breathe deeply." 

_This is an interesting way to start fighting practice...._Adora sat cross legged on the sandy ground across from Raushan, but they hadn't really done anything yet. 

"Stop thinking about them."   
  
"What?"   
  
"Catra. Shadow Weaver. Angella. Glimmer. I can see it on your face. If you keep thinking about them, you're just going to let yourself get swallowed up in your emotions." Raushan said sternly, her black jaw-length hair waving in the wind, as if she was speaking from personal experience.   
  
"Right." Adora stared at the sand at her feet. Not a day went by that she didn't think of Catra, wondering if she could have done anything differently to help Catra..._she was always my responsibility after all...but I have to move forward. _

She heard the sound of a wooden sword whizzing towards her,and scrambled to catch it.

"See, your third eye is already wide open!" 

"That wasn't my third eye-I could hear you throw the sword at me."  
  
"Or maybe it was fate? I guess we'll never know for sure, hm?" Raushan suppressed a giggle. "Anyways, you can pick up the sword now. We'll just start with some basic stances...." 

Adora practiced basic sword grips, stances and swings, along with precisely hitting marked targets that Raushan had prepared. It was strange doing it with her non dominant hand, as well as compensating for her lack of depth perception, but she seemed to be making steady progress at least. 

"Alright, that was pretty good for a first time." Raushan suddenly stretched and started to get up to leave. _I guess that means she's done now? _

"Sorry I wasn't, you know, better."   
  
"Well, I haven't really taught anyone before, so you can't blame yourself." Raushan shrugged. "We can get better together!" _She's much more casual than I would imagine a Queen and Beast Island survivor to be...._

"How did you learn to fight, anyways?" Adora asked, putting away her sword.   
  
"Well, I never really expected to be a ruler of my country or anything, but I wanted to learn how to fight, so I joined this group of female warriors..."   
  
Adora remembered the book from George and Lance's house. "The Crimson Hawks, right?"   
  
"Yeah, those were the days." Raushan smiled. "We didn't have any special powers or super strength, but we were able to use our skills to become a formidable force."

\----------------------------------

That evening, Bow, Entrapta, and Scorpia returned from their supply run to the closest town, where they had also gotten some information on Horde movements and whereabouts. 

"Hopefully, if they lose track of our movements, they should start moving Horde spies out of the Crimson Wastes soon." Scorpia said to Adora. "And apparently, they hired some mercenary who's known to shapeshift." 

"Shapeshift, hm?" Adora bit her lip, clasping Scorpia's hand tightly. "We should have some kind of a code word that only the two of us know, in case we're ever not sure if it's the other person." 

"Well, we should pick something pretty uncommon then....." A word came to Scorpia then, and maybe it was a word she had read in a book a long time ago, or maybe a word from her dreams. "....how about Polaris?" 

"Polaris." Adora said. "That works." 


End file.
